Thoughts on Pandemic - March 13, 2020

I want to point something out, in light of the spread of this virus and the suggested strategy of “extreme social distancing”. So far we are being asked to forgo our luxuries. We don’t need sports events and concerts and conferences and conventions. There us a cost to giving up these things but it is not great, in the grand scheme of things. But the point that I think needs to be made is that if these measures work, we will only know it by what doesn’t happen. If these measures work, people won’t get sick, and that is hard to measure. We will never know the effect of cancelling our events, even our beloved institutions.

What I want you to know is that the people making these decisions do not make them lightly. In the coming weeks, schools will have to decide whether to close, churches will have to decide whether to cancel events including Sunday morning worship. If this happens, know that it is not done flippantly or without prayer and careful consideration.

Also know that a cancellation of this kind would not be like a snow day. When you go out on a snow day, you mostly take your own life into your hands. If you go out during cancellations that are designed to create the kind of social distancing that is being recommended now, thinking “I’m reasonably healthy; it won’t hurt me too bad,” you take a lot of people’s health into your hands.

As of right now in Southside Virginia, we are mainly looking at what might be. I think the critical decisions will be made in the next few weeks. But just because the virus is not in our backyard doesn’t mean it’s not out there. It is a real threat, and ignoring it will have real and measurable consequences. I would rather miss out on the things I’d like to be doing— watching the Baylor Bears Men’s Basketball Team get a 1-seed, continuing my weekly rhythm/routine of worship with my family of faith, and preaching to a room full of people at Monte Vista— than go ahead and do those things and watch the disease spread.

All indications from our global neighbors indicate that without social distancing, the disease spreads fast. And diseases can’t be confined to the people who decide to attend the event, but spiral and cascade outward to any who come in contact with them and those who those people interact with after that.